1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to farming equipment and tractors. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for severing twine from a bale.
2. Background
In modern farming, bales of hay or other straw-like material or herbage are used for feeding animals or for other general purposes on the farm. The bales often weigh in excess of 1,000 pounds, and are typically arranged in a spiral and wrapped with twine about the periphery of bale so that the bale can be transported using a tractor having a loader. Conventional tractor loaders have a bucket and a grapple, where the grapple has tines or forks for spearing the bale.
As the bale is moved from place to place using the loader of the tractor, the bale is placed in a location on the farm where it will be unraveled and distributed for use or consumption. Conventionally, a farmer or other user manually cuts or manually severs the twine about the bale so that the bale can be distributed or consumed. This manual cutting operation generally requires that the farmer or user leaves the seat of the tractor in order to cut the twine, which can be inconvenient to the farmer.
Tractors are often equipped with protective cabins in which the farmer or user sits protected from the bad weather conditions, such as cold, rain, or excessive heat. In such situations, cutting or severing the twine from about the bale can be even more inconvenient.
It is with these shortcomings of the existing art in mind that the present invention was developed. What is needed is a method and apparatus for cutting the twine about a bale so that the cutting operation can be controlled and performed from the operator's seat within the tractor.